Machine for cutting ham.



No. 733,976. PATENTED'JULY 21.1903. W. IIA-COUR, P. FISCHER 6L G. LINDENBERG.

MACHINE POR CUTTING- HAM.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 24, 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

N0 MODEL.

No. 733,976. PATENTED JULY 21, 1903. W. LAGOUR, F. FISCHER & G. LINDENBERG.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING HAM.

APPDIGATION FILED Nov. 24. 1902. No MODEL. v 2 SHEETS-SHEET z.

UNITED STATES Patented .'ru1y'21, 190e.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILHELM LC-OUR, FRITZ FISCHER, AND GUSTAV LINDENB-ERG, 0Fy

BARMEN, GERMANY.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING HAM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 733,976, dated July 21, 1903. Application led November 24, 1902. Serial No. 132,610. (No model.)

'To (1l/ZZ whom z't may concern:

Be it known that we, WILHELM LACOUR, FRITZ FISCHER, and GUsTAv LINDENBERG, citizens of the German Empire, residing at Barmen, inthe Province of Rhenish Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cutting Ham; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to 'which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in machines for cutting ham, especially of that kind patented to Gustav Lindenberg, Fritz Altena, and Fritz Fischer, No. 682,722,

l on September 17, 1001; and it has for its object to simplify sa-id machine, especially with regard to the cleaning and sharpening of the cutters or knives. IVe attain this object by constructing the knife-head as a piece for itself and by givingit such shape and arranging it so that it can be taken oft from the machine, together with the knives, without reqniring derangin g or disconnecting any other parts or mechanisms of the machine. By this means any ordinary working man, not only an expert mechanic, can do the cleaning and sharpening of the knives and replace them and the whole knife-head in the machine. With this construction of the knife-head we have at the same time attained that the knives can be inclosed in a casing, in which they are protected from dust, andthe danger ofgetting soiled is avoided.

On the'accompanying drawings, Figure l shows the new machine in a vertical longitudinal section along line I I of Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a front View seen from the right side of Fig. 1, the casing opened. Fig. 3 is partly a View in plan partly shown in a horizontal section along line II II of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view seen from the right side of Fig. 1, vbut with the casing closed.

The'trough l for taking up the ham to be cut forms a rectangular box, vwith a cover 4 held thereon on hinges 2 andlocked by a latch 3. It is fixed on a table or standard 5, on which are also mounted the mechanisms for driving the machine. To the outlet side of the trough l is fixed a casing 6, i-n which vided with guide-bolts 2O head.

are inclosed'the vertically and horizontally moved knives 7 and S, respectively. In this casing is placed the knife-head 9, cast in one piece and exactly fitting with its rear Side to the rectangular trough 1 and to the casing, respectively. The knit`e-head has on its four side edges projections l1, fitting to corresponding cheeks 12 of the casing. The projections 11, facing the cheeks 12, as Well as the respective surfaces ot the cheeks, are turned, and they all lie in a circle the center of which goes through the geometrical axis of the knife-head. In consequence'of this the knife-head can be. put on between the cheeks l2 in any position and brought in its proper place by simply turning the same so that it fits exactly into the groove 10 of the casing. By set-screws 13 it can then be conveniently and securely held in position. In the rear side of the knife-head facing the trough 1 are arranged the knives 7, moving up and down. They are 'guided in slots in the upper and lower side of the knife-head 9, and outside of these they are held together by connecting-pieces 1l and 15, respectively, and by cross-bolts 16 16a. y

A little before the vertical knives are arranged the horizontally-moved knives 8,which pass through slots in the vertical sides of the knife-headQ, and outside of these they are held together by connecting-pieces 17 18 and by bolts 19. They thus form'a compact and uniform system also. The connecting-pieces 17 18 of the latter system and also the connecting-piece 14 of the. other system are pro- 21 22, respectively, which pass through the respective side wall of the casing and are thusguided. By this a proper movement of the knives is attained and their clam ping fast isprevented,

Vwhile at the same time they can be easily taken asunder and detached from the knife- Infront of the horizontally-moved knives S there isarranged agi-ate made of plates 23 reaching by their rear edges to the bac-k of the knives 8 and by their front edges to the mouth of the knife-head, thereby supporting the meat cut in prismsby the knives 7 and S.

Bot` systems of knives are completely inclosed by the casing 6.I At its front 'side the IOO casing is provided with a door, 26, held on hinges 24 and locked by keys or latches 25. A central openingis made inte this door through -which passes the mouth of the knife-head 9. When, however, the door is closed, it is impossible to take H the knife-head.

On the outside of the door t-here are guidebars 27 for a frame 28, moving up and down therein. 'lhisframe carries adonblecuttingknife 29, with oblique cutting edges. JThis knife is so arranged that it bears closely upon the face of grate 23 when moving up and down, so as to cut off neatly the prisms of meat projecting from the grate.

The cutting-tools described are set in motion by the shaft 30, carried in a bush-bearing l of the table 5. Said shaft is turned by the shaft 33 by bevel-wheels 31 32, so that the latter one makes the double number of revolutions as the rst one, and the shaft 33 is driven from the first-motion shaft 36 by means of the spur-gearing 34 35. The motion of the double cutting-knife 29 is impart'- ed to it by a crank-.disk 37 on the shaft 30, which by its pin and :roller 38 reaches into a cross-slot 39 of the frame 28 so that this makes one stroke up and dow'n at each revolution ofthe shaft 30. The movement of the knives 7 and 8 is caused by the eccentric 40 onshaft 30, a roller 42 being fixed to the strap 4l of said eccentric, and this roller reaches into a crossfslot 43 ofV the lower connecting-piece of the knives 7,causing them thus to be moved up and4 down, while for moving the other set of knives 8 horizontally an arm 44, fixed to said eccentric-strap, is connected by one end to the double-armed lever 45,` fulcrumed to a bracket 5" on the table 5, the other end of said lever being connected to the guide-bolt 20 of said system of 7 and 8, as inthe old machine, so that all knives 8. l V

The advancing of theham in thetrough 1 is caused by a piston 46which is providedwith cross-slots, so as to reach over the knives the ham in the box can `be fed to the front. By means of lazrack 47 and pinion 48 the piston is moved forward,said pinion being keyed to the shaft 49, on which is keyed the ratchetwheel at the rear side of the box l, and thisshaft 49 receives an intermittent motion by the ratchet-gear 50 51. The pawl 51 of this gear is held movably on a connecting-rod 54, which is carried in guides 52 53, and by the Weight of the handle 55 it is held in conn tact with theieeth of the ratchet-wheel. A spring 56 hasl the tendency to press the rod 54 and the rollerf57 at its lower end against the eccentric 58'on shaft 33, which causes the connecting-rod to make one stroke at each revolution, andV thus a partial tnz'ning of the shaft 49 and an` intermitting advance ofthe piston-46. Nowsince the shaft 33 makes the double number of revolutions as the shaft 30, by which the knives are moved, the hainwill be pushed forward once during each stroke ofthe knives, and this feeding motion made essere and completed always .when the knife 29 reached the dead-points of its stroke. The second pawl 59, engaging with the ratchetwheel 50, prevents the back motion of the same, and the set-screw of the rod 54, which hears upon the guidehas 60 at the upper end piece 52, serves'for regulating the amount of the turning of the vratchet-wheel.

As will be best seen from the drawings, in this machine the ham is first divided in ver tical sheets, which are then cut into rectangnlar prisms by the knives 8.l These prisms are then supported by the grate 23 andthe double cnttingknife 29 then cuts ed the cubical pieces.

When it is desired to takeoff the knifehead, all that is required to befdone is to open the door 26 of the casing 6 and to undo the screws 13 and take out the bolts 16 and 19, when the knifehead 9, together with the knives 7 and 8,can be pulled out. The eccentric 40 and the cra nk-disk 37 are so shaped and sorarranged that they do not'hinder the placing in and out of the knife-head, as will be seen from Fig. 1. 14 15 and 17 18, respectively, tached, the knives 7 8 can be taken off for cleaning and sharpening purposes, and it will be seen that all these manipulations can be done by an ordinary workman withont'requiring the assistance of a mechanic. i y

We are aware that meat-cutting and harncu ttin g machines have beenl invented and' in use before our invention, and we therefore do not claim, broadly, such a machine; but

Vlhat we do claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for cutting ham aframe or having been destandard 5, a shaft 36 carried incsaid frame,

to said shaft and engaging a pinion 35 keyed 34`on a shaft 33, a bevelwith a spur-wheel `pinion on said shaft 33 gearing into a bevel'- wheel 31, a shaft 30 carrying said bevel-wheel and held in a bush-bearing 5a of said frame 5, in combination with an veccentric 40, an eccentric-strap 41'011 said eccentric, a roller-pin 42 fixed tosaid strap and engaging with la slotted connecting-piece 15, a'set of vertical knives 7 jointed at their lowerend to said connecting-l piece by a bolt 16, a connecting-piece 14 jointed to the knives 7 at their bolt16, a guide-bolt 22 at the side of said connecting-piece 14and per flan ge of the casing 6 thereby guiding the knives 7 vertically, an arm 44 projecting side- Wise from said eccentric-strap,a double-armed lever 45 fulcrnmed on a bracket 5" of said frame 5, said lever engaging with a guide-bolt 20 guided in the side wall of casing 6, a,c on. necting-piece 17 fixed to said bolt 20, hof tal knives 8 held on said connecting-p ieeefby a holt 19, a connecting-piece 18 at the4 ther end of said knives 3, a guide-bolt 21 passing through the corresponding/flange of the cas"-` ing 6 for guiding the knives 8 in their movement 'to and fro, the whole as describedand illustrated and. for 'the purpose set forth.

The connecting-pieces,

upper end by a similar passing through the up# loo IIZIOl 'waere .a piston 46- iield movably in said trough, a

rack 47 projecting from the' rear side of the piston, a pinion 48 engaging with said rack,

a shaft 49 .arrying said pinion,a ratchenwheei at the outer end of shaft 49, a bar 54 having a ratchet-pawl `51 linked to it so as to engage with said ratchet-wheel, brackets 52, 53 of the frame 5 carrying said bar 54:, a roller 57 at the lower end of this bar, a spring 56 fixed with one end to the bar 54 and with the other end to the frame 5 so as to pull the bar downward and keep its roller 57 in contact with an eccentric 5S keyed to the inner end of lshaft:

33 for giving the bar 54 a to-and-fro movementin axial direction, a set-screw 60 at the upper end of said bar bearing against the upper side of the bracket 52 for adj listing the length of ti", stroke of the same, the whole vas descriled and illustrated and for the purpose se forth.

In ie timony whereof we have affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILHELM LACOUR. FRITZ FISCHER. GUSTAV LINDENBERG.

Witnesses:

OTTO KONIG, EMIL BLOMBERG. 

